Students of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs were warned this week not to spread the Wikileak cables online if they ever wanted a job at the State Department.
The warning came through the office of career services, from an unnamed alumnus who now works at State and wanted to pass along the message.
“The documents released during the past few months through Wikileaks are still considered classified documents. He recommends that you DO NOT post links to these documents nor make comments on social media sites such as Facebook or through Twitter,” reads the email, sent by the office of career services. Engaging in these activities would call into question your ability to deal with confidential information, which is part of most positions with the federal government.”
The email was first reported by Democracy Now.
[TPM SLIDESHOW: Inside the Bahnhof Bunker, Home Of The Wikileaks Servers]
A spokesman for the school confirmed to TPM that the email was sent.
“It was not a directive by any means,” said the spokesman, Alex Burnett. “Many of our students graduate and wind up looking for jobs in the government sector.”
The State Department did not return a call for comment.
As TPM reported today, the White House directed all federal agencies to tell their employees not to access the Wikileaks web site, citing concerns over security and the sharing of classified information.
